Ducks are birds. They are also called "waterfowls" because they are normally found in places with water, like ponds,
streams and rivers. They are related to geese and swans. The duck is the
smallest of them all. Ducks also have shorter necks and wings and a stout body.
They can live from 2-12 years, depending on breed.

Ducks have webbed feet, designed for swimming. Their webbed feet act like
paddles for the ducks. A duck waddles instead of walks because of its webbed
feet. Do you know that the duck's feet cannot feel cold even if it swims
in icy cold water? Well, the reason for this is because its feet have no
nerves or blood vessels!

Another special thing that the duck has is its water-proof feathers. There is
a special gland that produces oil near the duck's tail which spreads and
covers the outer coat of the duck's feathers, making it water-proof.
Beneath the water-proof coat are fluffy and soft feathers to keep the duck
warm.

Ducks give out a special sound. Listen to the sound of ducks
quacking here. However, not all ducks
quack. The Wood Duck does not quack, it gives out a "squeal"
instead.

Ducks were once wild until they were domesticated by the Chinese over 1,000
There are still many different breeds of wild
ducks.

Most of the farm ducks are of a breed called "Pekin".
It is harder to tell a male from a female with the Pekin ducks because
they look almost the
same. The male has two to three curly feathers on top. Pekin ducks have
white or cream colored feathers and orange colored bills. These ducks do not
fly and do well in captivity. They are also excellent for egg and meat
production. The Pekin duck originated from China and is the most popular breed
in the United States, having been first brought by ship from China to Long Island, New York in 1873.

Ducks are found in wetlands, marshes, ponds, rivers, lakes and oceans.
This is because ducks love the water. Some species of ducks migrate or travel
longs distances every year to breed. Usually they travel to warmer areas
or where the water does not freeze so that they can rest and raise their young.
The distance may be thousands of miles away. Ducks are found everywhere in the
world except the Antarctica which is too cold for them.

Some ducks have long and narrow beaks. The narrow beaks are also covered will with saw-like edges which help them to grab fish.
Sea ducks usually have this kind of beak. Sea ducks are also divers.
Examples are the Mergansers, Eiders,
Harlequins, Goldeneyes and
Buffleheads.

Some ducks do not dive for food. Their beaks are broad and short.
They are called dabbling ducks or dabblers.
They eat plants, seeds, grasses, small insects and animals
that they find on or under the water.

Usually they up-ends and stretch their
heads into the water to reach their food. Dabblers usually have shiny colored
patches on their wings. The domestic ducks are dabblers too. They are
descendents of the Mallards. Dabbling ducks take off from the water in quick
jumps. Examples of dabbling ducks are the mallards,
cinnamon teals,
shovellers, green and
blue-winged teals,
pintails, black ducks, baldpates and gadwalls.

Ducks with long necks dive their
head down into the shallow water and pick up their food.

Ducks of different breeds look different. Some are very colorful like
the Perching ducks. They are called Perching ducks because they like
to perch or rest in trees. Perching ducks are found in North America, tropical
regions of Asia, Africa, Central and South America. Examples of Perching
ducks are the Wood Ducks, Muscovy Ducks and
Mandarin Ducks.

Another breed is the "Stiff-tailed" duck. Examples are
the Ruddy Duck and the Masked Duck.

Ducks that come under the Pochards breed are the
Canvasbacks,
Ringnecks,
Redheads and Lesser Scaups. They swim underwater with their wings closed
and their legs sticking out to the sides. Their legs are closer to the rear end of their body compared to the other breeds of ducks. They run on the water surface before they lift-off and fly, just like an airplane!

The sea ducks' bills does not look like a duck's bill. It is long and narrow
with sawlike edges for catching and holding on to a fish. Example is the
Merganser.

The males (drakes) are usually the brightly colored ones while the
females (ducks) are usually a dull-colored brown so that they
can hide be camouflaged from their enemies when they are in their nests.

The Wood Duck in the picture is an example of the colorful male.
The males use their colorful plumage to attract females.
However, they will lose or molt their colorful feathers when
the females are busy hatching the eggs. The males will now look
like the female in color and will be unable to fly temporarily. They
will molt again in early Fall (autumn) and get back their colorful
feathers and be able to fly again. The females also molt.
They replace all their feathers, get new ones after their babies
or ducklings
are hatched.

Ducks usually look for a mate or partner in winter. The males will
attract the females with their colorful plumage or feathers.
The females will then lead the males to their breeding ground
in spring. Instinctively, the breeding ground will usually be the place where she was hatched ñ itís as if they have a built-in homing device. The female builds her nest with grass or reeds
or even in a hole in a tree. The male will guard their territory
by chasing away other couples. Once the female lays 5-12 eggs,
she will start to sit on her eggs to keep it warm so that
they can hatch into ducklings. The males on the other hand, will
be with the other males. The eggs will hatch within 28 days normally,
except for the Muscovy which takes about 35 days to hatch.

The mother duck will keep her brood of ducklings together to protect
them from predators. Animals like the raccoon, turtles, hawks, large
fish and snakes will eat the ducklings. Ducklings are able to fly
within 5-8 weeks. Their feathers develop really fast.
When the young are ready to fly, all the ducks will gather in flocks
on large lakes, marshes or the ocean to migrate to their wintering
home. When the ducks fly, they usually do so in a "V-shaped" formation or a long
line.

The production of eggs is affected by daylight. When there is more daylight,
the ducks will lay more eggs. In the months of July to December when daylight
is short, they slow down their production of eggs. Sometimes, they stop
laying eggs completely during these months. To prevent this from happening,
farmers use artificial lighting so that the ducks have about 17 hours of
light a day to produce eggs efficiently.

Ducks, like other animals, are useful to human beings. They provide us with eggs and meat to eat. Some ducks provide us with feathers are used for stuffing quilts and pillows. The feathers are usually from the Eider duck. Thus, the name "eiderdown" for stuffed quilts. To line their nests, the females pluck feathers from their breast. Their feathers are harvested in Iceland where they are found everywhere along the coast and are a valuable source of income for the people here. Eiders feed on mussels, sea snails, crabs, shrimps, barnacles, catch fish, dig for snails and eat other small crustaceans and some sea-weeds.

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